About five years ago, Jenice Weaver and her husband, Glenn, saw that other school districts had ministry-based organizations that would allocate resources for families in need within the district. The Weavers soon realized there was a need for something similar in Lampeter-Strasburg, so they founded the nonprofit organization LS Together, whose motto is "pioneering life together."

LS Together will host its annual back-to-school drive on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 8 to 10 a.m. in front of the Hans Herr Elementary School, 1623 Book Road, Lancaster. Like last year, supplies will be distributed in a drive-through format. Families will be asked what grades their children are going into so that LS Together can distribute supplies according to the needs of each grade.

"We use a generic list from the school for each grade to put specific items in the backpacks," explained Jenice.

Although not required, preregistration is encouraged and can be completed at https://bit.ly/2021together. The Google Form asks parents if their children need socks, underwear, or a clothing gift card to a local consignment shop. Clothing and gift cards will be distributed to families while supplies last.

"We feel like if we can help supply the kids with what they need to go to school, they won't feel quite as nervous about their first day," said Jenice. "School can be stressful enough, so we want to give them confidence to start the year off strong and not worry about gathering materials for school."

To the families that participate in the drive, Jenice noted she wants them to feel supported by the community. "L-S is a family and family takes care of each other," she stated. "We don't want anyone to feel that they have to do this alone, and they can reach out to us if they ever have a need."

For more information about the back-to-school drive, email office@lstogether.org, search for "LS Together" on Facebook and select the Events tab. To learn more about LS Together, visit https://lstogether.org.